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Norman Y. Lono/for New York Daily News

The Staten Island home of the Ollis family.

Ollis was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, out
of Fort Drum, N.Y. He shipped out on his third tour in January. He always made sure to call his close-knit family each
week, often asking for them to send energy drinks or chocolate-chip cookies baked by his mother or his Aunt Susie, his
father said.

But the young soldier revealed little of his experiences as an infantryman. During his career he also was awarded four
Army Commendation medals, two Army Achievement medals, the Valorous Unit Award, the Meritorious Unit
Commendation and a dozen other citations, as well as membership in the invitation-only Audie Murphy Club, a
leadership group.

PHOTOS: MILITARY DOGS

Ollis’ sisters and brothers-in-law Dave Manzolillo and Bill Loschiavo said he was fun-loving and adored playing with his
niece and four nephews — two of whom are his godchildren. “He didn’t have a bad bone in his body,” Loschiavo said.

“He’d come home and say, ‘Let’s go do something with the kids,’ ” Manzolillo added. “We loved him like a brother.”

Mayor Bloomberg said Ollis, who volunteered in 2005 as a soccer coach at a Parks Department summer program, was
the 92nd New Yorker to die in service of the country since 9/11. “As New Yorkers, we owe a special debt of gratitude to
those who serve in our military, because New York City is in many ways America’s greatest symbol of freedom,”
Bloomberg said.

With Norman Y. Lono